Burdens That Allow Us To Fly
by gocubsgo17
Summary: Follow up series of one-shots to A Light on a Hill. Established B&B. Brennan explains her past to Booth and learns that keeping promises and loving is a two way street.
1. Gone, Baby, Gone

**A/N: This is my follow up series of one-shots for my fic **_**A Light on a Hill**_**. If you haven't read that, I'm going to suggest you do so that way you'll have a better idea of who Katie, Aaron, Josh, Kathy and Chris are. A big thanks goes out to mendenbar for the suggestion on the format of the story. **

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* * *

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_She had spent the night crying like she had the night before and the one before that. She walked down the stairs that morning still exhausted after dressing slowly, not caring if she was late for school again. She could smell the pancakes and bacon from the stairway, knowing Kathy had gone on a cooking binge again. She had been baking like crazy since Katie and Aaron died. They had enough baked goods and casseroles to last them months. Josh was already sitting at the kitchen table and pushing around the last of his pancake in the puddle of syrup on his plate. _

"_Good morning, Baby. Do you want some pancakes?" Kathy greeted her, her voice lacking her usual peppiness._

"_No, thank you." She walked to the table and sat next to Josh. He looked like he slept about as much as she did. The bags under his eyes gave it away and Kathy looked the same. She flipped through the newspaper, barely looking at the words instead of reading. _

"_Where's Chris?" Brennan asked, "Did he go to work early?"_

_Kathy turned at the mention at her husband's name. "No, Baby."_

"_Is he still asleep? Who's taking us to school?"_

"_Baby-ˮ Josh's voice sounded like a warning._

"_What?"_

"_Don't," he warned again._

"_Is Chris taking us to school or not?" Though Katie wasn't there anymore to stick up for her, school was the only thing keeping Brennan sane. The school work barely kept her busy until mid-evening each night but it was a welcome distraction for a while._

"_He's gone, Baby." Josh's voice was softer this time._

"_I don't understand."_

"_He left, Tempe," Kathy spat, "He's gone."_

_She flinched at her name and then realized what that meant. "They're gonna put us somewhere else," she breathed, "I don't want to go! I'm staying here!"_

"_Baby," Kathy had calmed down and joined her foster children at the kitchen table, "I'm not going to let you two leave. Not if I can help it. We're going to keep this quiet for a while. No one has to know that it's just the three of us."_

"_They're gonna find out," Brennan whispered, afraid of breaking rules._

"_Baby, as long as you keep your big mouth shut, we're not going anywhere," Josh said._

"_I don't want to leave." She felt like tears should be forming but her eyes had dried out from the night before. She had no tears left to cry._

"_You won't," Kathy tried to comfort her, but she was terrified that she would be unable to keep her promise._

* * *

"And we never saw Chris again. A couple of weeks later, they took Josh. They moved him and then they moved me," she recounted to Booth. This time, the tears were fresh, not strained from sobbing herself to sleep the night before.

"Bones, I'm not going to leave you. I shouldn't have walked out like that. It's my fault. I'm sorry." Booth sat next to her on her couch and pulled her onto his lap. She welcomed the warmth of his body and buried her face in his neck.

"I'm sorry, too. Yelling at you wasn't going to solve anything. It really is my fault."

"Well, can we forgive and forget this time? We're both at fault here."

"I can agree to that. Booth?"

"Yeah, Baby?"

She ignored the pet name that was only reserved for Kathy and Josh. "I'm not leaving either."

Booth smiled at her and pulled her face closer to a better angle for kissing. It was a soft one, gentle and apologetic.

"I know. I know you won't."

Brennan felt horrible for asking but it needed to be said. "How do I know you won't?"

"Won't leave? It's simple, Bones. Just trust me. Have faith in me."

She kissed him again and gave a soft chuckle against his lips.

"What?" he asked, barely moving away from her. Her eyes were still glistening from the tears and his heart stopped every he looked into them.

She shook her head a bit. "Something Hodgins said to me a long time ago."

"What was it?"

""What you have is faith, Baby.'"


	2. Homecoming royalty

"_I can't believe Homecoming is tonight!" Katie said, adding a loud squeal at the end. _

"_Do you mean your coronation or the dance? Because the dance doesn't occur until tomorrow night."_

"_I know. Baby, I wish you would come with me! There's still time to get you a dress and a date!" Katie eyed her sister's reaction and amended her statement, "Or you can go without a date! Will you come with me? Please?"_

"_Katie, I will go to the game to watch you, Josh and Aaron but I'm not going to the dance. It's…never mind," Brennan wanted to explain what these dances were really for but thought better of it._

"_Do you think I'll win queen?" _

_Brennan was watching Katie dance around her room, pulling a garment bag and a shoebox from her closet._

"_From the amount of people in my homeroom that voted for you, I'd say that's very likely, assuming other homeroom tallies were similar."_

"_Oh, Baby, I'm too excited to zip up my dress. Will you do it for me?"_

_Katie, who had already slipped on her dress for that night, which differed from her dress for the dance, was attempting to stretch her arms to reach the zipper that ran right up her back. Brennan pulled it up with ease and handed Katie her earrings. She finished helping Katie get ready before the two went to make sure Aaron was getting ready as well. Josh had already left for the school. Football players had to be there very early before the game. The Burtonsville High Jaguars had never beaten the Edmonton High Wildcats so Josh's practices had become extremely intense to prepare for the Homecoming game. Kathy and Chris drove Katie, Aaron and Brennan to the school and when they arrived, Katie and Aaron headed off to wait with the rest of the Homecoming royalty while Brennan and her foster parents sat in the stands, waiting for the game to start. They watched Josh play his best game against the Wildcats and the Jaguars were up 24-13 at halftime. Brennan was inexplicably nervous for Katie. She knew how badly her foster sister wanted the plastic tiara, even though Brennan never understood why something from the costume shop was so coveted. _

_Katie, Aaron, and the rest of the Homecoming court were announced and lined up in front of the home crowd before announcing king and queen._

"_Your Burtonsville High Homecoming king is David Blackburn!" the voice said over the crackling sound system. The fans cheered and David's mother took several pictures while the other men on the court graciously applauded their classmate without animosity._

_Brennan, ever the observant one, noticed Katie had broken out her nervous habit, scratching the back of one calf with the opposite foot. She pointed it out to Kathy, who got her daughter's attention and promptly motioned to her to knock it off. _

_She did but only started again when the voice over the speakers rattled the stands again._

"_Your Burtonsville High Homecoming queen is…Katie Allen!"_

_Brennan, Kathy and Chris stood, cheering for Katie when she went to accept her crown. Aaron, who was the only one from their family in close proximity to Katie, gave her a hug and a big smile before the halftime festivities were over._

_Eventually, Katie and Aaron made their way up to the stands to sit with Brennan and their parents._

"_Congratulations," Brennan said._

"_Oh, my god! I can't believe it!" Katie cried, pulling Brennan into a hug._

"_I knew you'd win," she told Katie with a smile._

_Katie laughed. "It's only because you're a genius."_

* * *

"I miss her," she whispered. Booth came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pressed a kiss to her neck and the quickly jumped away as Hank came back into the room.

"Okay, now that my pea for a bladder is empty…where were we…" Pops trailed off as he took a seat on the couch. Brennan and Booth sat on either side of Hank. He grabbed the photo album and pointed to a boy who looked oddly familiar.

A teenaged Booth stood on the football field, clad in his jersey and pads, holding his helmet by his facemask in one hand. Instead of the helmet on his head, a crown sat in its place. It was one you would get from a costume shop and was the counterpart to the one Katie wore so long ago.

"You never told me you were Homecoming king," Brennan teased.

"Prom king too!" Hank said.

Booth's modesty showed in his blush and flipped the page in the album to hide the picture, but it only showed Booth in a hand-me-down tux and a similar crown.

"See, Prom king," Hank repeated. Not long later, a nurse came into Hank's room, announcing visiting hours were over. They said their goodbyes and Booth and Brennan reluctantly left Hank alone. Booth opened the car door for her and Brennan got in without complaining. When he slid into the driver's seat, she turned to him and chuckled.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Ah ah ah! Nope, not nothing! You can't just say that. It's something."

She smiled. "You are the exact stereotype to win those foolish high school votes."

"It was not foolish! And I am not your stereotypical jock!"

"How so?"

He leaned over to kiss her. "I didn't get the girl."

Brennan smiled again. "I beg to differ."

* * *

**A/N: I know I need update _Love on the Inside_, but I really do love writing these one-shots. I'll work on that soon :) Thanks for reading!**


	3. Emergency

"Shit! Cell tower's are out," Cam muttered.

"They won't come back on, at the earliest, until tomorrow morning," Hodgins said.

"I just checked the traffic report. There is no way she could get here anyway. How are we supposed to tell her? Send out SOS signals?" Angela deadpanned.

Cam added, "She's going to blame herself, you know."

The three paced around in the hospital waiting room, wondering how their friend was doing and how to tell his girlfriend.

"I know how we can talk to her," Sweets said, feeling helpful for the first time in ages.

* * *

Brennan knew the scheduled blackout was coming. But she didn't calculate the amount of people that would be leaving the city. Roads were packed and she had been at a standstill for forty five minutes trying to get to the Hoover. She and Booth had made plans to meet there before heading back to their apartment. The heat in D.C. was unbearable and the amount of electricity the residents of the metropolitan area were using to power their air conditioning units were causing power grids to shut down. She turned on the radio and listened to the news relay all of the information of what was happening with the blackout.

She knew Booth was planning on interrogating the suspect without her. The man gave her the creeps, and Booth didn't want her there anyway.

They had taken the suspect back to the Hoover and Brennan drove Booth's vehicle back to the Jeffersonian.

Booth and Sweets had taken the suspect into interrogation and let him stew for a while. They all formulated a plan, Sweets and Booth versus their child killing suspect.

Booth went in alone, planning on Sweets joining him when he gave the signal. Michael Kelly, on the other hand, had another idea. It was one on one and Booth was reminded of his undercover op with Bones when they were Tony and Roxie. This guy outweighed him by seventy pounds easily. Kelly took out an unsuspecting Booth, using the small knife he had hidden in his belt buckle. Sweets ran out of the observation room and rounded up a few junior agents to take care of Kelly before tending to Booth. The stab wounds had caused major blood loss and to Sweets, the ambulance couldn't show up fast enough.

They had lost precious time working their way through the blackout-caused traffic and the minute they arrived to the hospital, Booth was rushed into surgery.

* * *

"How? The cell towers are down. The only thing that's working is the radio," Angela told him.

"He probably wants us to convince some radio deejay to hand us the mic so we can talk to Doctor B," Hodgins scoffed.

Sweets shook his head. "Doctor Brennan was driving Agent Booth's car. He's got a dispatch radio in there."

"The hospital has dispatch radios for talking to their EMTs," Cam said, "If we change the frequency, we can probably get a hold of Brennan."

"Do you know what frequency Booth keeps his radio on?" Angela asked.

"It's probably the same as FBI dispatch," Cam reasoned, "Seeley loves knowing what other good cases are out there, wants to know if he can get in on anything interesting."

"Do you know what frequency FBI dispatch is on?" Hodgins spoke this time.

"This is when we need Vincent here. He probably knows this," Angela mumbled

"I do! Cam, do you know where the hospital has their radios?" Sweets asked. She nodded. "Lead the way, Doctor Saroyan."

When they explained the situation to the young nurse who was monitoring the radios and Sweets flashed his ID tag, which hardly resembled a badge, she finally let Sweets use one in exchange for his number. After a few jokes at his expense from Hodgins and Angela, they found the FBI frequency.

"Doctor Brennan?" Sweets said tentatively into the two-way radio, "This is Doctor Sweets. Agent Booth is in trouble."

* * *

Brennan looked down at the dispatch radio. She was shocked to hear Sweets' voice. Upon hearing Booth was in trouble, she grabbed for the receiver and pressed the button that would allow her to respond. "Doctor Sweets? What's wrong?"

"Booth…was hurt. He's in the hospital. We need you to get to Mount Mercy as fast as you can," Sweets' voice crackled over the radio.

"What do you mean he was hurt? He was in interrogation!"

"The suspect had a hidden weapon. Booth's in surgery now."

"Sweets, the rolling blackout started hours ago. I'm stuck in traffic. There is no way I can get there any time soon."

"Doctor Brennan, I understand your predicament, but I just wanted to let you know about Agent Booth. How close are you to the hospital?"

"Probably twenty minutes under normal circumstances but right now, it could be days before I reach Mount Mercy."

"Just get here as soon as you can, Bren," Angela's voice came over the radio, "I don't know where you are, but we need you too."

* * *

_Chris was pacing, the scuff marks on the floor significantly darker on the path he frequented. Kathy, who hadn't moved in days, was still holding vigil at Katie's bedside. Brennan sat in the corner, far away from Katie's hospital bed. She watched things happened, the doctors coming in to check on her, the nurses changing her dressings, the interns double checking her vitals. Since being pulled from sleep in the middle of the night by her foster father, she hadn't slept a minute in the past eight hours. Some of the nurses offered a small cot, or even a comfortable chair for her, but she refused._

_Hours later, and with Katie's condition rapidly declining, Josh arrived at the hospital._

"_How is she?" was his greeting. Josh still had his clothes on from the night before._

_Chris barely acknowledged him and Kathy only shook her head, tears falling._

"_The doctors say there isn't much they can do. They've done all of the surgeries they can and now it's up to her."_

_Katie was hardly recognizable. Her hair, normally a shiny dark blonde shade, was dingy and matted. Her flawless, tanned skinned was cut and slashed where the glass from the windshield tore deep and bruises covered her. Her legs were broken, and if she ever woke up, physical therapy was inevitable. To Brennan, she didn't look like Katie, she didn't look like the girl she thought of as her sister._

"_And Aaron? These are just horrible, stretched rumors, right? Which room is his? Where is he?"_

"_Aaron," Kathy tried to calm him._

"_Where's Aaron?" Josh shouted._

"_He's dead, Josh," Chris muttered._

"_Shit!" Josh kicked the door frame before punching it. He shook off the pain in his hand and looked at Brennan, who had kept quiet the entire time._

"_Baby…"_

"_Your hand might be broken," she advised. Kathy and Chris looked to her, shocked to hear words from their youngest. _

"_Baby…" Josh repeated._

"_You should get it checked out," she said, her voice wavering._

"_Baby, are you okay?"_

"_Where were you?" her voice was accusative, "We needed you. I needed you."_

"_I'm sorry, Baby." He sat on the floor next to her, ignoring the throbbing pain in his hand._

"_I hate hospitals," Brennan murmured._

"_I know. I'm sorry. I'm here now."_

_Josh put an arm around her and she leaned into her brother's touch. She finally let go, allowing her tears to flow._

_They spent two more days at the hospital before Katie passed away. _

_

* * *

_

She couldn't let anything like that happen again, no matter what Booth's condition was. To her, it was unacceptable for her to be anywhere but waiting for him to get out of surgery. Her keen senses spotted a rare out – a church parking lot, with one spot open which was normally reserved for the Monsignor. She pulled Booth's FBI issued SUV onto the sidewalk and used that shortcut to park the car. Knowing that walking would ultimately be faster, she exited the car quickly, hoping Booth would forgive her for parking in a spot reserved for someone so high up in his religion's standing.

Brennan began walking for Mount Mercy Hospital, blocking out the honking cars and obnoxious headlights from the traffic jam. Her walk turned into a jog, which eventually turned into a full out run. She reached the hospital sooner than she would've thought and ran straight up to the surgical waiting room.

Her friends were there, obviously relieved she had arrived.

"Where is he?" she panted, the sweat clinging to her skin.

"He's asking for you, Sweetie," Angela smiled, "He won't see anyone that isn't you."

Brennan turned down the hall and peeked in every room until she found him.

"Bones!"

She smiled and walked to his bed. Silently, she told him to him to slide over. He did, wincing at his wounds as he moved, and she climbed in next to him. Resting her head on his shoulder, she knew this was so much better than sitting on the floor.


	4. Tequila

"_I fucked up, Kathy. I messed up big time."_

"_Tell me what happened, Baby."_

"_Hold on, I gotta find it."_

"_Find what?"_

"_I've got some bourbon here somewhere," Brennan said into the phone, rummaging around her kitchen._

"_Baby, you don't need any more alcohol. Just sit down and tell me what happened," Kathy's voice came through the receiver. _

"_Found it!" Brennan cried. She took the bottle, took off her shoes and tossed her rain soaked jacket on the floor. She fell onto her couch and popped open the bottle. Taking a swig, she hardly cringed at the burning liquor going down her throat. It seemed like nothing after the tequila._

"_Tempe, what happened?" Kathy asked._

_Her name caught her attention and she finally launched into her story._

"_I punched a judge in the schnoz," Brennan told her, taking another gulp of bourbon._

"_Temperance! Did you get in trouble?"_

"_Nope, but remember that FBI guy I told you about?"_

"_Yeah…"_

"_He thought that was hot, and then he got me drunk to fire me and have sex with me."_

"_Baby," Kathy said with a laugh, "Are you sure that's the way it really happened?"_

_There was a moment of quiet while Brennan put down another helping of the liquor. "Well…yes. I kissed him."_

"_And?"_

"_He is an exceptional kisser, even under the influence of tequila."_

"_Did you sleep with him?"_

"_No."_

"_Why?"_

"_Tequila," Brennan answered, as if that one word should explain it all._

"_I'm confused. What's the problem?"_

"_I should've slept with him."_

"_Why?" This was not the way Kathy had expected the conversation to go._

"_Katie always said when you find the one, you'll know."_

_Kathy snorted. "Baby, you always thought that was a load of shit."_

"_I thought so. Until I met Booth."_

_Kathy had a feeling it was just the tequila talking and the bourbon was just egging her on. "Baby, why don't you go put the bourbon down and head to bed? You have work in the morning."_

"_Do you think I should go to his place?"_

"_No, baby. You're drunk, and it's late."_

"_You're right," Brennan said, seeming to forget the plan she had formulated, "I'm going to bed. That tequila's gonna kick my ass in the morning."_

"_Yes, it is. Goodnight, Baby. Call me tomorrow night, preferably before midnight," Kathy told her._

"'_Night, Mom."_

_

* * *

_

"You really thought that?"

"Yes. Well, the Bhang was worse, but I didn't have nearly as much as I had tequila that night."

"Bones, that's not what I meant. What I meant was…you thought I was it, you know, the one?"

"Well, I was drunk," Brennan said, a smile covering her face.

"Drunken words are sober thoughts, Bones," Booth said, giving her a smile that mimicked hers. His nerves were waning, but she still hadn't given him a straight answer.

"Well, then yes, I suppose I did know. Even way back then."

"So why did you let us split up for a year?"

"I wanted to see if it was true."

"So?"

"So, what?"

"Do I get an answer to my question or not?" Booth asked, waving the diamond and white gold band in front of her.

"Yes. I'll marry you."


	5. Baby

**A/N: Just so you all know, I won't be able to update this weekend and I'm not sure how much I'll be able to write so this is just to kind of hold you over for the weekend. It's fluffy, so you've been warned :)**

* * *

"_So what movies are we going to watch tonight, kids?" Kathy asked._

"_Disney movies! Sleeping Beauty or Mary Poppins!" Katie cried._

"_No!" Brennan, Josh and Aaron all vetoed. They were sitting at the kitchen table, loading up their plates with waffles and eggs. The summer was almost over and it was time for one last hurrah of staying up all night and having fun before homework and various sports practices started up._

"_Why not?" she whined._

"_That's what we watch every weekend," Aaron said._

"_Shut up. You love it," Katie defended herself._

"_Well, yeah but can't we watch Die Hard?"_

"_Ooh! Or Lethal Weapon!" Josh shouted and the two boys high-fived._

"_Tempe, what do you want to watch?" Kathy asked her._

_Brennan only shrugged._

"_Come on, Tempe, pick something!" Aaron urged her. _

"_How about Sixteen Candles or Footloose?" Katie suggested to her._

_Brennan only shrugged again._

"_Hmm," Kathy contemplated as she took a seat at the table, "Tempe, have you ever seen Dirty Dancing?"_

"_That does not sound all that pleasant," Brennan told her, dipping a bite of pancake into a pool of syrup on her plate._

"_You've never seen it?" Katie screeched, "That's it. That's what we're watching tonight."_

_

* * *

_

"_So? Did you like it?"_

_She had five sets of eyes on her waiting for her answer._

"_I…I loved it," Brennan confessed, "Though the story is somewhat romanticized, I quite enjoyed the storyline."_

"_I knew you'd love it!" Katie shouted._

"_You know," Chris said, refilling his bowl of popcorn, "Tempe kind of reminds me of Baby."_

"_She does!" was the general consensus. _

_Brennan scrunched up her face in confusion. "How so?"_

"_Shy, kind of timid at first but stubborn and hard headed."_

"_Definitely," Josh and Aaron agreed._

_

* * *

_

"_Baby! Baby, I've been calling for you for, like ever!" Katie appeared in her doorway._

"_I didn't hear my name. And did you just call me Baby?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Why?"_

"'_Cause…that's who you are!"_

"_No, I am not a fictional character from a movie."_

"_It's a nickname, Baby, go with it. Come on, Mom and Dad want family pictures outside."_

"_Why?"_

"_They don't have a picture of all four of us. Or all six of us. Come on!" _

_She was confused again. "But Josh, Aaron and I aren't really your family. Chris and Kathy only foster us."_

"_No. You're my sister. And Josh and Aaron are our brothers. But seriously, come on. Mom wants a picture of us under that maple in the backyard."_

_

* * *

_

"I think you should call her. I want you to tell her," Brennan said.

"Why me, Bones?"

Brennan shrugged. "We're married now and you are, in a way, her son."

"Yeah, but don't you want to tell her?"

"Put her on speaker and we can tell her together," Brennan suggested.

Booth smiled and dialed Kathy's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kathy," Booth said.

"Seeley? Is Baby okay?"

"I'm fine. We just called to talk," Brennan reassured her.

"Actually, we have something to tell you," Booth said.

"What is it?"

Booth smiled and spoke gently into the phone, "We're going to have a baby. Are you ready to be a grandma?"


	6. Little Girl

**A/N: Okay, so apparently, I have internet access where I am this weekend AND I had time to crank out one more of these :) isn't there a category for fluff? There should be a category for fluff, since most of this story is all fluff :) Enjoy!**

* * *

_Kathy, angrier than a Mama Bear, stood at the secretary's desk at Burtonsville High. She hadn't talked to Baby in over a week. Josh had been calling, and though their talks had been short, she at least knew he was doing okay. She was worried. Baby hadn't called from school all week. Her new foster parents refused to let her use the phone and fortunately for both Kathy and Brennan, the school nurse, Mrs. Malick, allowed Brennan to use the phone during Brennan's lunch period._

"_Mrs. Allen, I understand your concern, but I can't pull Temperance from class without a proper reason," the secretary said._

_The woman's high pitched voice was wearing on Kathy's nerves. "You don't understand my concern. Until you know what my family has been through, you can't understand!"_

"_Mrs. Allen, I'm so sorry about Katie. And Aaron. But since Temperance is no longer in your care, I can't do anything for you."_

"_Okay, listen, I don't give a damn what you can and can't do. Just tell me what time her lunch period is. I don't want to disrupt her class anymore than you do."_

"_I'm sorry, Mrs. Allen," was all the secretary could say. She shrugged and turned back to her paperwork._

"_Kathy?"_

_She turned back to the entryway of the office and saw Brennan standing there._

"_Baby! Are you okay? How are things?"_

_Brennan tossed her books on the floor and walked to Kathy. She accepted the woman's hug and neither said anything for a while._

"_Excuse me, but, Temperance, where are you supposed to be right now? Class?"_

"_Ms. Collins, if you hadn't noticed by now that during every lunch period I'm in the nurse's office, you are not as observant as I thought," Brennan snapped as she pulled out of Kathy's hug._

_The secretary ignored her tone and went back to work. _

"_I'm okay. Tired all the time. I don't sleep well at this new house. Apart from me, they're fostering two month old twins," Brennan said, answering Kathy's question._

"_Are you feeling well, though? Sorry, Baby, I have to ask. I haven't heard from you," Kathy said._

"_I know. I'm sorry. The usual nurse, Mrs. Reimers, is on vacation. She won't be back until next week and her substitute isn't as kind as she is."_

"_Why are you here?" Brennan asked after a few moments of silence._

"_I gotta check up on you and Josh," Kathy said softly._

"_I know, but I've been trying to convince the new nurse to let me call you. I think she was going to relent today."_

"_I worry about you, Baby."_

"_Why?"_

"_You, Katie, Aaron and Josh are my kids. You and Josh are still here. You're my little girl, Baby."_

"_You only raised me during adolescence. You never knew me as a child."_

_Kathy shrugged and smiled. "You're still my little girl."_

_

* * *

_

"I remember that," Brennan told her, "I was quite surprised you came to school."

"I wanted to make sure you were okay, Baby. That's what family does."

"I know. I just hope I can do this and not mess up. I don't want to make the same mistakes my parents made."

Kathy shook her head. "You won't. Elsa is a lucky girl to have a mom like you."

From her hospital bed, Brennan looked over to the small bassinet by the window.

Booth came into the room followed closely by Parker. The older Booth had a large bouquet and the younger held a few balloons. Parker looked scared, intimidated by the setting.

"Hello, Parker," Brennan greeted.

"Hey, Bones," he whispered, "is my sister sleeping?"

"Probably. You can go peek in and see if she's awake."

Parker tiptoed over to the bassinet and looked in.

"Elsie's awake!" he cried.

"Elsie?" Brennan looked to Booth.

"Elsa is, you know, obviously her name, but…"

"It sounds like a big girl name," Parker explained for his father, "Elsie is for when she's little. Is that okay, Bones?" Parker looked scared she would say no and walked to her hospital bed to get her answer.

"Of course it is," Brennan said, giving Parker a smile.

"Good," Parker climbed into bed with Brennan.

"Bub, be careful," Booth warned.

"He's okay, Booth," she told him.

"Bones, I'm glad we're a family now," Parker said, laying his head on her shoulder.

"Me too, Parker."

"Can I hold her?" he shouted when Booth went to Elsa's bassinet to pick her up.

"I don't know, Bub."

"He's not going to break her, Booth. I'm right here with him."

Booth gave in and took his daughter to Parker.

"She's really little," Parker observed, watching Elsa's blue eyes dart around the room and fixate on him.

Kathy watched with a smile on her face and Brennan caught her.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just like watching one of my girls with her little girl."


	7. Lookout

_She was sitting next to Kathy and Chris in the football stands. Brennan observed the marching band prepare to play their halftime performance for the homecoming crowd. Katie had just won homecoming queen and had disappeared with the rest of the court after the coronation. _

_Brennan was bored. As happy as she was for Katie, and as much as she liked watching Josh play football, she just wanted to go home. She felt left out, watching the rambunctious student crowd shout and cheer. Brennan never felt welcome at any school event she attended. It was inevitable that Morticia would sit alone at games, concerts and other events._

_She was surprised when she saw Katie walk up the bleacher steps, Aaron following right behind her. _

"_Hey, guys," she greeted Brennan and her parents. They made room for the two to sit and congratulations were extended to Katie on her crown._

"_Why aren't you sitting with your friends?" Brennan asked, looking over toward the student crowd where Katie's normal group of friends stood watching Katie ditch them. They brushed her off and then disappeared into the rest of the students._

"_I wanna sit with you!" Katie shouted over the marching band's performance._

"_Why?"Brennan was genuinely confused._

_Katie shrugged and seemed to avoid the question. Brennan, who had just assumed Katie didn't hear, repeated the question._

"'_Cause you're my sister! And I love you!" Katie told her, enveloping Brennan in a hug._

* * *

"_They were calling you names," Kathy admitted, "That's what she told me, and she wasn't about to let her little sister get crap from anyone. She loved you, Baby. I hope you know that. That's why she sat with you at the football game. She cared about you more than you know, Baby."_

_The cemetery was clearing out now, people leaving the caskets behind. Kathy and Brennan stood between Katie and Aaron's closed caskets. They were buried next to each other, siblings gone too soon. The state had offered assistance with funeral costs for Aaron as a ward of the state but Kathy refused. He was her son, and she was going to give him a proper funeral with his sister. She wanted to provide for them one last time. Things were starting to fall apart between Kathy and Chris; the strain of losing their biological daughter and a foster son taking its toll on their relationship. They worked hard not to take it out or show it to Josh and Baby, but Chris wasn't so great at hiding his emotions from them._

"_I'm done," Josh and Brennan had heard him say one night, "I'm done fostering. That's it. I mean it, Kathy. As soon as the state moves Tempe and Josh, I'm done."_

"_They don't want to leave. We can give them a real home. They're my children too, Chris. That's not fair to me either."_

"_We had a daughter and that's it. She's gone, Kathleen. She's dead. And if the state had never put Aaron here, she'd still be alive."_

"_Don't you dare say that! They couldn't prove if it was Aaron's fault. Just because he was driving when they crashed…if she had been driving, would you have blamed this on her?"_

_Chris had stayed quiet. Brennan hadn't heard the rest of the argument. Josh had felt the need to protect her so he herded her away from the fight._

_Embarrassed at her public display of emotion, she furiously wiped away her tears from her cheeks. "I miss them." _

* * *

"How do I tell Elsa not to worry about it? She's six years old, Booth. _I _am worried about it."

He sighed. "Bones, you just gotta tell her to stick up for herself. She's a tough little girl. She can handle what other kids dish out."

"What if she's like me? I couldn't stand up for myself! I was quite socially awkward and I never had any friends. I want her to be more like you."

Booth smiled and kissed his wife. "She's going to be fine. Do you want me to talk to her instead?"

Brennan shook her head. "No, I should. She asked me for advice and I should give her advice. I just…don't want to say the wrong thing or give her bad advice."

"You won't, I promise. Just tell her what you think is right."

Brennan nodded and walked down the hall to her daughter's room. Elsa was bouncing a ball back to herself off the wall, looking as bored as ever. Her brown hair was tied up in a ponytail that her father had so graciously done for her. Elsa's back was to the door and she didn't notice her mom come in.

"Elsa?"

She caught the ball and hid it behind her back. "Sorry, Mom! I know I'm not supposed to throw a ball in the house."

"No, Elsa, I'm not upset about that. Do you still want to talk?"

"No, not really."

"Why not? Your problems won't go away."

Elsa shrugged. "Well, once this school year is over, those girls will be in a different second grade class from me."

"What if they are in your class next year?"

She shrugged again and began bouncing the ball again.

Brennan snatched the ball out of the air and sat on Elsa's bed. Elsa looked surprised her mom caught the ball but sat next to her. She curled up into her mom's lap and hugged her tight. Brennan didn't say anything, but held her daughter tight.

"Elsie," Brennan started, using the nickname usually reserved for Booth and Parker, "Do you wanna tell me what's going on at school?"

"These girls, Morgan Hubbard and Cassie Elliot, make fun of me all the time," Elsa said, tears welling in her eyes.

"Why?"

"I don't know. They call me stupid and dumb and all sorts of mean things. No one likes me, Mommy."

"What about your friends? Lauren and Mya?"

"They like me, I guess. But I want everyone to like me! I don't want to be the weird girl!"

"Elsie, you're not. Do you want know what my dad told me when I was little?"

"What?"

"'Kill them with kindness' is what he used to say."

Elsie scrunched up her nose and said, "I don't know what that means."

A very amused Booth, who was watching from the hallway, smiled at the familiar saying he was used to hearing from his wife.

"It means that if you're really nice to these girls who are really mean to you now, eventually they're going to realize how…silly they were for treating the most amazing girl in the world so badly."

"Mommy, there's no way you could know I'm the most amazing girl in the world."

"And why not?"

"I doubt you know everyone in the entire world."

Brennan smiled. "Well you're right, but I only tell the truth so that must mean I'm right too."

Elsa shrugged and allowed a small smile. "I guess you're right." Brennan hugged Elsa a little tighter and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you, Elsie."

"I love you, too, Mommy."

She left her daughter's room, leaving her to think her words over. As she took a step into the hallway, she ran right into Booth.

"Were you eavesdropping?"

"No."

"You're lying."

He grinned. "Yeah. Why were you so worried about telling her the wrong things?''

"I'm still trying to figure out this Mom thing."

"You were great with Parker at this age and you're great with Elsie. Quit worrying so much, Bones."

"You're very good at parenting and I'm quite jealous."

"Don't worry, babe. I'll look out for you."


	8. Forever and Always

"_Just look at them, Baby. Aren't they delicious?"_

"_Katie, have you…tasted them?"_

_She laughed. "No! They just all look so good in their uniforms."_

"_You're quite right. All of the boys look especially attractive in their baseball outfits."_

"_They're not outfits, Baby. They're uniforms," Aaron said, approaching the bleachers clad in his uniform and holding is mitt, "And quit ogling my guys, Kate. That's creepy. What's up, Ma?"_

_Kathy had been waving him over to tell him one last thing before game time. "I just wanted to tell you good luck one last time," she said, pulling his face to hers to plant an embarrassing kiss on his cheek._

"_Thanks, Kathy. I'll see you guys after the game." Aaron jogged back to the dugout, to prepare for the game that could send the Burtonsville High baseball team to the state championship._

_Brennan and Katie, along with Josh, Chris and Kathy were seated at the top of the bleachers, hoping to get a prime view of the game. Katie was more engrossed with the guys who were stretching along the third baseline than watching her brother throw warm up pitches. The game started and the family cheered every time Aaron threw a strike. It was a close game and by the end of the ninth inning, the score was tied three to three. The game went into extra innings, way longer than it should've been. Eventually, the only one still cheering in the stands was Kathy. She hardly understood the game, but knew enough to know that when Aaron was up to bat or throwing a few pitches. He had been on the pitcher's mound the entire game and even Brennan could tell he was getting tired. But Aaron wasn't the only one._

_Kathy was the only one still cheering vigorously for Aaron and his team. She stood and cheered when the inning ended and she cheered for everyone on the Burtonsville team, even the kids she had never met. Katie was embarrassed by her mom and Brennan didn't understand why. Kathy's voice was strained and Brennan could tell that by morning, she would be sore. _

_The game ended in the fourteenth inning, four to three. The fans cheered, only because it was over. The team rejoiced, elated to be heading to the state championship game._

"_Didja hear Mom?" Katie asked Aaron on the way home from the ballpark._

"_How could I not hear her?" he replied._

_

* * *

_

"Sweetie, maybe you should, you know…save your voice for when she wins," Angela said.

"But I should be cheering for her throughout the game to show her my support. That's what Kathy did for Aaron."

"Bren, I know. You told me the story. But this isn't a high school state qualifying game. This is little league."

Angela and Brennan were sitting at the top of the bleachers at the neighborhood park. Elsa and Booth were sitting in the dugout, talking strategy and preparing for that day's game while Parker was with the other players. Angela was right and she knew it. It was only nine and ten year olds in the league and only the kids kept score. Elsa was that day's starting pitcher. Her fastball was better than Parker's, despite that Parker was the one who taught her how to pitch. Parker and Booth both coached Elsa's team. Parker had been a phenomenal baseball player in high school, and now that he was in college, his baby sister's team was a great way to add volunteering time to his resume on top of spending time with his family.

"I know, but she's really nervous. She looked up online how to throw a knuckleball and she wants to try it out today."

Angela was confused. "How do you even know what a knuckleball is? You hate sports."

"I have learned to love them. For Elsa. I wanted to understand what she's saying when she comes home from hockey practices talking about a hat trick or from baseball talking about a double play."

Angela smiled. "You're a good mom, Brennan."

Brennan hugged her. "I hope she isn't embarrassed by my cheering. Katie, Josh and Aaron were always mildly displeased with Kathy after their events."

"She loves it, Bren. Plus, she'll appreciate it when she's older."

* * *

"Mom, you were cheering really loud today."

Brennan winced a little, preparing for a lecture from her daughter, like Kathy used to get from Katie. "Was that bad?"

"No. Everyone liked it. I'm glad you cheered for the other guys on my team. It's hard being the only girl. And since I'm better than most of them, they like me a little more now since you're nice."

"Really?" Brennan was surprised.

"Yeah! They all think you're super pretty too. I think a few of the boys have a crush on you."

Booth and Parker laughed at Brennan's reaction. "Don't worry, Bones. Dad set them straight," Parker said, still laughing.

"I find it quite inappropriate that pre-adolescent children think…"

"Just don't worry about it, Bones," Booth interrupted her.

She nodded, sensing that her husband wasn't willing to talk about sex in public in front of their daughter.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Elsa?"

"Do you cheer at my hockey games like that? Because I can't ever hear you at the rink."

"It's loud in there, Elsie, you know that," Booth said

"All the time," Brennan answered anyway.

"Okay, good."

"Why?"

"I like it when you cheer for me. I know you love me."

"I'll always love you, Elsa," Brennan said, "Forever and always."

Elsa sighed, her voice becoming slightly annoyed. "Mom, you tell Daddy when he says that that here is no such thing as forever."

Brennan smiled and shrugged. "Maybe I was wrong."


	9. Change

"_Mark Robson is a stupid son of a bitch and I never want to see him again!"_

_Brennan was sitting in her bed, having been woken up by a sobbing Katie. Katie was now pacing around Brennan's room, ranting and getting everything out of her system._

"_He cheated on me! That dirty bastard cheated on me! Ahh!" she was yelling, probably waking the rest of the house up. Katie was completely crying by now and things only came to a head when Kathy busted into the room._

"_What's wrong? What's going on?" She was genuinely worried, assuming someone was hurt by the amount of yelling. But she had assumed the hurt was physical, not emotional._

"_Mark cheated on me with that…whore! Sandra Tomlinson! That asshole cheated on me with her!"_

"_Katie, sit down. Come on. Since we're all awake now, let's talk this out so we can get back to sleep."_

_Brennan moved over to allow enough room for Kathy and Katie to sit on her bed. Katie kicked off her shoes and slid off her jeans before climbing under the covers next to Brennan. Before Kathy could say anything, Katie began to sob. Baby and Kathy let her get it out for a bit before Kathy launched into fix-it mode._

"_Katie, are you okay?"_

"_Of course I'm not okay, Mom! The love of my life just cheated on me, dumped me, and moved on with the sluttiest girl in school!"_

"_Kate, most people don't find their soul mates in high school," Kathy reasoned._

"_You did. You met Dad in high school."_

_She had Kathy there. Brennan kept quiet and watched the interaction of the two. "Yes, well times were different. It was weird if you didn't marry your high school sweetheart. Nowadays, you have so many more opportunities to meet The One. You're going to college soon, Katie. Do you even know how many available guys you'll meet in the first week alone? Tons. And you're not going to want to be tied down. You're going to want to be free to hang out with the guys. Katie, Mark dumping you isn't the end of the world. It's just change."_

"_I don't know how to change, Mom. I love him."_

_Kathy shrugged. "Maybe you do now. But give it a week. You'll change. You won't remember how this love felt."_

"_You can't be serious."_

"_Of course I am. And if Baby was in the same situation, I'd tell her the same thing. But, Katie, you have to remember that he wasn't worth your time. And he still isn't. You deserve so much more than that. So much more than he can give you. If he can't give you the world, he's not The One."_

_Katie only nodded and slid further down into Brennan's bed. She had fallen asleep, the tears and the yelling wearing her out._

"_I'll get Chris or one of the boys to move her," Kathy told Brennan._

"_No, it's okay. I don't mind."_

_She smiled. "Goodnight, Baby."_

"_Goodnight."_

_

* * *

_

"Mom, I don't understand how that's going to help me."

"Your grandma's advice still holds true, Elsa."

"I'm sixteen, Mom. Dad says I'm still too young to date."

"Katie was sixteen when she started dating. You can go. If your father says anything about it, blame it on me. I'll take the hit for you."

Elsa smiled and dashed over to her closet, pulling out two dresses. "Okay, which one?"

"The red one," Brennan answered. She helped her daughter prepare for her date, hoping Elsa really had listened to her story and advice.

She walked Elsa to the door and handed her the car keys. "Take my car. Just be careful, okay?"

"I will. Thanks, Mom."

She grabbed Elsa's shoulders before she could escape out the front door. "Elsie, just remember what I told you, okay?"

"Mom, its just dinner. Not an engagement party."

Brennan smiled. "I know. Don't forget that if he's not The One, there are other birds in the sky."

Elsa laughed, a sound that mimicked her mother. "I think you mean other fish in the sea."

"I still don't understand that," Brennan muttered.

"Mom, tonight is not a big deal. I like this guy. That's all. You'll explain to Daddy, right?"

"Of course. But you know he's going to want to meet this boy."

"Noah isn't a boy, Mom. And I'm not a little kid anymore."

"Well, maybe it would help your father believe that if you stopped calling him Daddy."

"He's not ready for me to grow up, Mom. You know that."

Brennan nodded. "Well, go. You have fun."

"I will, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too, Elsie."

Elsa ran right by Booth as he was coming home. "Bye, Daddy! I love you," she called over her shoulder after placing a kiss on his cheek and running to her mother's car.

"What's going on?" Booth asked Brennan as they watched Elsa drive down the street.

"She's not a little girl anymore, Booth," she said, her tone taking a cautious edge

He grunted and said, "I don't like it. She looked too…mature for her age."

"I told her there were other fish in the sea or birds in the sky. I don't understand the metaphor, but she knows."

"I want to meet him. What kind of guy doesn't pick up his date?"

"One that's not too serious about a relationship," Brennan suggested.

"I'm not sure what's worse: not being serious about it or being too serious about it."

Brennan pulled Booth in for a kiss. "She loves you. She's worried about what you'll think."

"I'm just worried about her getting hurt. I don't want her to fall in love with this kid just to have her end up heartbroken."

"I've got this handled, Booth. Trust me."

"Did you tell her not to change just because someone wants to be with her? Did you tell her just to be herself?"

Brennan sighed. "Booth, she's more mature than you realize. She knows who she is. She knows she doesn't have to change who she really is to be with someone. Only her thought process, the way she analyzes things and thinks about her relationship with this boy."

Booth smiled, thinking back on the days when Brennan was scared to change. "You told her that? Sounds a little ironic coming from you."

She swatted at him playfully and kissed him again. "I know now that change is somewhat necessary for a perfect relationship. She either knows that too or she'll figure it out on her own."

"I just hope it doesn't take her as long for her to realize it as her mom did."


	10. Old

"_You came?"_

"_Of course I came, Baby. I wouldn't miss this for the world."_

_Her cap and gown were growing uncomfortable and she took the cap off to cool down the sweat that was dampening her hair. It was hot in the tiny gym; hundreds of people had packed in for the graduation ceremony. _

_Kathy and Brennan hugged amidst the crowd that was dispersing for their post-graduation activities. "Where are…"_

"_They didn't come," Brennan said of her new foster parents, "I asked them not to, though I doubt they would've been here anyway."_

"_Are you going home now?"_

"_Yes. I need to start packing."_

_Kathy was confused. "Why? Are they moving you again?"_

"_No. My paperwork will be finalized by tomorrow and I'll be out of the system. I've decided to remove myself early. I can't handle it anymore."_

"_Baby, you're only seventeen. Just stay with them until you leave for school and then send in the paperwork for processing. I'm not sure if that's a good idea for you to leave so early. Where are you staying?"_

"_I'm going to a field school for the anthropology department. I got enough financial aid from Northwestern that it'll send me there for a month. It's in Ethiopia."_

"_So what are you planning on doing for the other two months of the summer?"_

_Brennan didn't answer. She hadn't thought that far ahead._

"_Baby?" Kathy asked again, "Do you have anywhere to stay before classes start?"_

_Brennan shook her head and avoided Kathy's eyes. _

"_You're staying with me. I want all the details on this field school too. I want to know when you'll be back and when I can pick you up from the airport. And I want a letter or two while you're gone." Kathy's voice was loving but firm. _

"_Okay," Brennan said, without an argument._

"_Come on, let's go to the diner for some dinner and then I'll take you home."_

_She followed Kathy to her car and ditched the cap and gown in the back seat._

"_Why are you doing this for me?" Brennan wanted to know._

_Kathy sighed and said, "We're family, Baby. Maybe not your definition of family, but we are. Josh is staying with me this summer too before classes at Loyola start back up. I'm glad you two are going to be so close to each other."_

"_You don't mind me staying with you?"_

"_Of course not, Baby. I've missed you a lot. It's too quiet at home and it'll be nice to have you and Josh back home, even if it is just for a little while."_

"_I missed you too. And I promise I'll write while I'm in Africa. And I'll call as much as I can when I'm at school."_

"_I know you will. I love you, Baby."_

"_I love you too, Kathy."_

_

* * *

_

"I can't believe how old I feel."

"Seeley, don't talk to me about old! My granddaughter just graduated from high school! I remember when Baby graduated. I can't believe that in three months Elsie's heading off to college."

"She'll be out of the house. I don't like it. I won't be able to keep an eye on her anymore."

"Booth, she's eighteen years old. Elsa is an adult. She now has to make her own mistakes and her daddy has to stop protecting her," Brennan said. They were standing in the convention center waiting for Elsa to come find them as soon as she could fight her way through the graduation crowd.

"Ha! Yeah, right. Like Dad's going to stop worrying about Elsie," Parker said.

"Is she really going to a field school?" Kathy wanted to know.

"Yes, since I am an alumni of Northwestern _and _I participated in a field school on top of her high GPA, recommendations from teachers and her entrance essay, they invited Elsa to go to their summer field school free of charge. She would've gone anyway; we can afford it, but this will be good for her resume."

"Where's she going?" Parker asked, "I asked her about it but all she said was that Dad was pretty upset."

"She's going to Iraq," Brennan said, like it was no big deal.

"It's still dangerous over there," Booth growled, obviously hiding his true feelings against his baby girl going to the Middle East.

"Daddy, I can take care of myself. My Arabic is perfect. It's better than Mom's. Plus, we'll have soldiers with us. I'll be fine, Daddy."

"Ugh, you sound like your mother," Booth said, pulling Elsie into a hug, "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Daddy."

Every shared hugs all around and Kathy kept asking questions about the field school. It was déjà vu all over again for her. This time, though, was more joyous.

"Come on, baby girl, let's go get you packed and make sure we can find your passport," Booth sighed

"I can't wait to add another stamp to my passport! I'm so excited! I mean…mass graves shouldn't be exciting, but I can't wait to go!"

"We're going to miss you," Parker warned.

"I know. I'm going to miss everyone so much. I promise I'll send pictures and write and set up a few video chats while I'm there."

"Good. I can't wait for you to get back," Booth said.

"Daddy! I haven't even left yet!"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, baby girl, I just worry about you."

Elsie smiled and hugged her dad.

"I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Elsie."


	11. Growing Up and Moving On

"_Baby, you need to go. Get out of this place. You've seen more countries than you have states. Go to Washington. Take that job."_

"_I don't know. I won't be able to visit. Neither of us can really afford to visit right now. I want to stay close to you and Josh."_

"_Baby, Kathy's right. This will be good for you."_

_They were sitting around the kitchen table, the pot of coffee as a centerpiece._

_She had a job offer in Washington, D.C. at the Jeffersonian Institute. But that was the problem. It was in Washington. A solid twelve hour drive, speeding the entire way. Kathy and Josh had, in a way, become her security blanket. She refused to leave them behind. They had become such an integral part of her life that she couldn't imagine her life without them. _

"_I don't know…"_

"_Baby," Kathy said, "You have to get out of Illinois. You say all the time how much you hate it here. Being away from all the bad memories will help. You can focus on work and not think 'oh, hey, when I lived in that house, they beat me.'"_

_Brennan rolled her eyes._

"_It's true, Baby. You should watch yourself when you drive through Burtonsville to get to Kathy's. You get all tense and rigid and you dig your nails so far into the seat of the car, you practically puncture the fabric," Josh told her._

"_It seems like you don't want me here anymore."_

_Kathy sighed. "Baby, it's not that I don't want you here. I do! I love you and I'd miss you so much if you left. But everyone needs to move on and this job will help you do it."_

"_Baby, you were born for this job!" Josh added._

_It was silent for a while and looks were exchanged between Kathy and Josh as Brennan thought it over. _

"_I guess I should call Doctor Goodman back and let him know when I'll be in D.C. I still need to find a place to live and I need to move all of my things. I don't have much, but it'll still require a moving van."_

"_We'll help, Baby," Josh promised._

"_I'm going to take some time off work to help move you out there. It's just like when we moved you into the dorms at Northwestern. Baby, I'm so proud of you for doing this."_

_Brennan smiled at her and dialed a number. "Doctor Goodman? Yes, this is Doctor Brennan. I'd like to accept your job offer."_

_

* * *

_

"If Kathy and Josh hadn't convinced me to take the job at the Jeffersonian, I doubt we would've ever met."

"Bones, we would've met."

"How are you so sure?"

"Fate," Booth answered.

"There's no such thing."

"I know that was supposed to make me feel better, but how does that even relate to taking Elsie to college? She leaves for a month for some war torn country and then comes back and packs all of her things. Her room has been a stack of boxes for two months!"

"She's excited, Booth! Elsa wants to get to school. I was quite excited at her age too."

"But she's going to be so far away!"

Brennan smiled at her husband and gave him a gentle kiss. "She won't be that far away. We can fly out to see her whenever and both Josh and Kathy are close if she needs anything."

Booth sighed and whispered to her, "What if she needs her daddy?"

"I'll always need you, Daddy," Elsa said, holding another box to load into the car.

"You see that, Bones!" Booth took the box from Elsa and strategically placed it in the car to maximize space. He then pulled Elsa in for a death grip hug. She, of course, hugged her father back, just as unwilling as he was to let go.

Brennan watched. She wasn't jealous of the bond they had. They had bonded over the years over sports and pie. The relationship was as solid as Brennan and Kathy's. She and Elsa had their own bond, own relationship, but something was different in the way Elsa was around Booth. He was a softer man, kinder and gentler. True, he coached her hockey teams and was her pitching coach for many years, but when doctors suggested she have Tommy John surgery on her elbow to fix her out-of-commission elbow in tenth grade, Booth was outraged. Furious that anyone would suggest his daughter go under the knife like a profession baseball player, he researched other ways for her rehabilitation. Brennan, using her rationality, told Booth the surgery was for the best. After, Elsie went on to be one of the only high school female pitchers in the country to throw a perfect game. Elsie was a daddy's girl all the way, but she and her mother had their own bond. Spending days upon days in the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal lab, Elsie knew each name of every bone by age four and knew what muscles attached to them at age six, which was more than some of her mother's grad students knew. The late night talks about the cute guy on her club baseball team and who was taking who to the homecoming dance were what Brennan loved during Elsie's teenage years. Gone were the days of "Mommy, will you read me a story?" and "Mommy, I think that skeleton from Limbo is under my bed."

"Daddy, you gotta let me go. I can't breathe," Elsa coughed out. Booth released her from the hug and looked at her. Her blue eyes that matched her mother's lit up when she gave him a smile that mimicked his.

"Daddy, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just going to miss you."

"We have the whole car ride to Chicago to hang out. Plus, I thought you and Mom were going to stay a few days with Grandma before you come home?"

"We are," Brennan answered, "Your father would rather stay with your Uncle Josh right there in the city, but your grandma has insisted we stay with her."

"We're staying with Grandma Kathy a few days while you get settled in. Now I want you to call me if you need anything or forget something or just wanna talk. Okay?" Booth said.

"I promise, Daddy."

"Okay!" Booth called out, clapping his hands together, "Let's get this show on the road!"

The three of them loaded into the car and left for Northwestern University. Hours later, with Elsie asleep in the back seat, Brennan took over the wheel at a rest stop in Ohio and began to drive again.

"Bones? You okay?"

"Yes, I'm just thinking."

Booth chuckled and reclined his seat a bit. "You do that a lot. What are you thinking about this time?"

"It's just…interesting how I ran from this place. I ran away from Illinois, from Chicago and everything that happened, while Elsa is running to it. It's…"

"Odd? Confusing?"

"I don't know," she sighed.

Booth sat up in his seat and faced Brennan. "Bones, she's not running away from D.C., she's just moving forward. You told me yourself she's gotta move on and grow up."

She gave him a sad smile and sighed. "I just didn't think she'd grow up so fast."


	12. Be Nice

"_Promise me…Please PROMISE me you'll be nice."_

"_Kate, you know we can't actually promise. We'll try."_

"_Josh, Aaron, knock it off. Come over here and pick up your jackets off the couch before someone sits on them," Chris said._

_It was prom night and the boys were done preparing for their night on the town. Katie was pacing by the door, the hem of her dress barely grazing the floor. Kathy had helped her sweep up her hair in an elegant do and her jewelry matched her dress in a way that only accented her look instead of weighing her down. She had been asked to prom months ago and she was incredibly anxious for the night to arrive. Tyler Pronger was a hot commodity at Burtonsville High and dozens of girls were incredibly jealous of Katie. _

_Josh and Aaron shrugged on their jackets, completing the look to their tuxes. Brennan sat at the kitchen table, working on what little homework she had. Most teachers knew that the kids wouldn't be working on much this weekend and assigned busy work if they assigned anything at all. She watched as Josh and Aaron plotted something in the corner of the room before sneaking out the back door. Brennan saw them out the windows as they ran out to the driveway and walked alongside Tyler Pronger's car as he coasted in. _

"_Hey guys, is Katie ready?" Tyler asked as he stepped out of the car._

"_Hey, Tyler, how's it hangin'?" Aaron asked. Tyler immediately noticed the aggressiveness in his classmates._

"_Not bad. You guys ready to go?"_

"_Yeah, I think so," Josh said, "You excited for tonight?"_

"_Very. It's my senior prom."_

_Josh and Aaron just nodded. "What are your plans for after the dance?" Josh asked._

"_Not much. It depends on what Katie wants to do."_

"_And if Katie doesn't want to do what you want to do?" Aaron said. The brothers were blocking Tyler's path up to the door. _

"_Then we'll find something else to do," Tyler answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world._

_Brennan, who had seen the whole thing, ran to Katie to let her know her date was there, and had been for some time. _

_Furious, Katie pulled up her dress a bit to avoid stains as she walked through the grass to where Tyler, Aaron and Josh were conversing._

"_Just keep it in your pants, okay?"Katie heard Josh say._

"_JOSHUA!" She yelled._

_Brennan had summoned Kathy and Chris to the front porch to watch what was going down. _

"_Josh. Aaron. Go inside. Now!" Katie spat. _

"_Kate…" Aaron spoke this time._

"_I am so not joking around!"_

"_Fine," Josh said, holding his hand up in surrender. He and Aaron went back into the house, where they cowered behind Brennan from Kathy's ice glare. _

"_Why did you guys have to do that?" Kathy asked, somewhat outraged._

"_Come on, Kath, they're just protecting their sister," Chris said with a laugh._

_Brennan pushed them away from her, laughing along with Chris._

"_Don't be like that, Baby," Aaron said, "We'd do the same thing for you!"_

"_Good thing I'm not going to prom," Brennan muttered._

"_I can't believe you guys!" Katie shouted, stomping back into the house with Tyler at her heels. She calmed herself down for a minute before introducing her date to her parents. Plesantries were exchanged and the four prepared to head to the dance. Tyler and Katie went out to the car first while Kathy gave one last word of advice to Josh and Aaron, who were going as each other's date as a joke that Brennan just didn't understand._

"_Be nice," Kathy warned._

_

* * *

_

"Mom, just make Daddy and Parker promise to be nice. And Uncle Josh! I don't want Adam to feel unwelcomed."

"I'll talk to the boys. Just drive safe, okay? We'll see you soon."

"Bye, Mom. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Brennan hung up the phone and walked back into the living room where her three favorite men in the world were busy getting the Christmas tree decorated while Parker's wife, Grace, supervised.

"What'd Elsie have to say?" Booth asked.

"She and Adam are about an hour away."

Booth and Parker grumbled but didn't say anything.

"She wants you guys to be nice. They're both staying with us for the week. She also wanted me to tell you to quit making plans to scare him off because they are as serious as a heart attack."

The phrase made Booth's head snap up to look at her and he almost dropped the glass ornament he was hanging.

"Serious as heart attack?" he repeated.

"Yes. So be nice."

"No."

"Booth…" she warned.

"Bones, she's still a kid. No one her age needs to be serious as a heart attack yet."

"Dad, Bones kinda has a point. Elsie's twenty six. She's a doctor now. And technically, you were younger than she was when I was born."

Booth grumbled again at Parker's very rational point and grabbed the stockings from the storage box to hang over the fireplace.

"Booth, will you just give him a chance? Elsa seems to really like him."

"Fine, I'll…be nice," he muttered.

"Thank you. Elsa will appreciate it," Brennan told him, giving him a kiss.

An hour later, Elsa and Adam walked through the front door of her childhood home. Her parents had lived there since before she was born. She couldn't remember a Christmas that wasn't at this house. There were hugs all around and her boyfriend was introduced to the family. Brennan suggested they make some peppermint hot chocolate, Elsa's favorite Christmas tradition and Adam offered to help her. As her mother and boyfriend disappeared into the kitchen, Elsa pulled her uncle, brother and father off to the side and warned them.

"Be nice. Adam is a good man. Don't be rude, don't make snarky comments, don't ask embarrassing questions and don't pull pranks on him," she added at the end, directed at Josh.

"Damn," her uncle muttered.

"I mean it!"

"Okay, okay," Parker called a truce, "We'll be nice. Dad, you should probably behave 'cause it looks like Bones approves."

They all peeked into the kitchen where Adam was telling a story that had Brennan laughing. Elsa smiled smugly and sent a told you so look to the men.

Everyone continued decorating the tree and when dinner rolled around, nothing bad yet had happened and Elsa was pleasantly surprised.

"Wow, Elsie warned me that you guys were going to make things rough on me, but it's not bad at all," Adam said, smiling.

"He called her Elsie," Parker whispered to his dad, "Me and you only call her that. This_ is _serious."

Booth glared at him and took another bite of his mashed potatoes.

There were more stories about Adam and Elsie's time at Northwestern. He told the story of how they really met at a dig in Nicaragua despite that they had been in the same anthropology courses back at school. Things blossomed and now here they were almost a year and a half later.

Josh leaned over and whispered to Booth and Parker, "They've been together for a year and half and we're just now meeting this guy? Sounds suspicious…"

"Actually," Brennan said, in her best professor voice, the one she had adopted when the dynamic duo's crime fighting days ended and the universities came calling, "They've both been quite busy and now is the first time they've both had a chance to visit together. Now, if you three are done, quit trying to be sneaky and eat your food."

The three men sat up straighter and Grace swatted at Parker to reprimand him. They all muttered apologies and ate their food without one more word. After dinner, Elsie took Adam on a snowy nighttime walk of D.C. while the rest of the family watched a movie. It was late and everyone had gone to bed with the exception of Booth and Brennan. Sitting on the couch with only the tree lights on, she leaned into him as he held her close.

"Our little girl is still out. It's cold. Should we call her? See if she's okay?" he whispered.

"Booth, she's fine. Elsa's not out there by herself. She has Adam," she whispered back.

"That's what worries me."

"Seeley Booth, you need to stop that. What are you going to do when she gets married?"

"Die," he muttered. Brennan rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, Bones. When I look at Elsa, I still see the pajamas with the footies and the goalie mask that was too big and the first strikeout she threw in little league. She's still that little bundle I held in the hospital. When I look at her, that's what I see. I know now that when I'll look at her, I'll see her college graduation and the look on her face when she completed her dissertation. And I'm…having issues with the idea that soon, it'll be diamond rings and white dresses and…babies. That's a lot for me right now."

"Booth, she's not pregnant. Trust me, her ilia haven't shifted. Her gait hasn't changed."

"Okay, well there goes that issue," he said sarcastically.

"Don't be like this. She wants her daddy to approve."

He only nodded.

"She's never going to stop calling you Daddy. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Good. Are you going to wait up for them?"

"Nah, I'll be there in a second. Go ahead."

She smiled and kissed him, leaving promises lingering on his lips.

Booth chuckled and watched her walk down the hall. He hadn't been sitting on the couch alone for very long when the front door lock turned over and Elsie and Adam wandered in, brushing the snow from their coats.

"Hey, Daddy," Elsa whispered when she saw Booth sitting there.

"Hi, baby. Hi, Adam."

"Hello, sir."

Booth had to admit: this kid's manners were better than Parker's were at that age.

"I'm going to sit with Daddy for a bit. Go on. I'll come to bed soon."

They exchanged looks and he held her gaze for a while. She smiled and it looked liked Parker's. Booth could see the nonverbal communication at work, something her mother still had problems with. She smiled a bit bigger and Adam broke down and laughed a bit. He smiled at her once more before sliding off his shoes and hanging up his coat. Adam smiled at Booth and said goodnight while Elsa took over her mother's seat.

"Daddy?"

"What's up, baby girl?"

"Adam and I are getting married."

Booth bit his tongue and let out the breath he had been holding. He had seen it coming.

"Daddy, say something," she begged.

He hugged her and placed a kiss on her head. "Congratulations, baby girl."

"Are you being serious, Dad?"

"Of course I am!" Booth turned to look her in the eye. "I'm really happy for you, Elsie."

She smiled. "Thanks, Daddy. But don't say anything to Mom yet. Adam wants to tell everyone tomorrow morning at breakfast."

"I won't say a thing," he told her, making the zipper motion over his mouth.

"Thanks, Daddy." She stood and moved toward her room.

"Hey," he called, "Help your old man up."

Elsa laughed and hoisted him up. Booth hugged Elsa one more time, thinking of the days of the footie pajamas and pigtails.

"Daddy, will you promise me one thing?"

"Anything," he said, pulling away from her hug enough to look at her.

"Be nice."


	13. Vows

"_Oh, my God, Baby. I have to tell you something!"_

"_Did you pass your geometry test?"_

_Katie flopped down on Brennan's bed, sending sheets of homework flying._

"_Well, yeah, but this is so much bigger than a stupid math test."_

"_I'd have to disagree. There are not many things more important than academics."_

_Katie rolled her eyes and smiled at her. "Baby, have you met that the guy I'm seeing? The one in my home economics class?"_

"_Lucas Kading?"_

"_So what do you think about him? Isn't Luke just the sweetest thing?"_

_Brennan considered how to answer. "He does seem very polite."_

_Katie laid on her back, staring up at the ceiling, her smile lighting up the room. "I'm going to marry him."_

"_Did the exchanging of promises occur while he was suspended on one knee? You certainly haven't known him that long and I doubt your father would agree to this, though it is entirely your own decision," Brennan rambled on._

_Her sister laughed loudly. "No, Baby! He's the one though. Luke is so sweet. We're going out to dinner on Thursday. He's already told me he has several more dates planned for this weekend alone. It's so romantic."_

"_I'm glad you have found your Prince Enchanting."_

"_What? Oh! You mean Prince Charming!"_

_Brennan shrugged. "The words are very similar."_

_Katie smiled at her. "Will you help me pick something out for my date?"_

"_Katie, it's only Monday. You still have several days to think of your outfit."_

"_Baby, this date is going to change my life. It has to be perfect. I need to know what I'm going to wear now."_

_She didn't see the logic, but Brennan walked to the closet they shared and scanned the numerous clothes that filled it. "This one," Brennan told her, selecting a simple dress. _

"_You think?"_

"_Well hasn't Kathy told you before that you want to play it safe for selecting clothing so you can look back on your memories and not…cringe, as she put it, at your outfit choices."_

_She laughed and hugged Brennan. "You are so right. This is perfect. I'm so nervous already!"_

"_There's no reason to be nervous," Brennan reasoned._

"_This is could decide the rest of my life! White dresses and diamond rings…"_

"_I still don't understand the significance of those things," she muttered._

"_You don't want to get married, do you, Baby?"_

"_No."_

_Katie shook her head. "Sooner or later…you will. And even if you don't recognize how important these things are until your own daughter gets married, you'll know."_

"_I'm not having children," Brennan rebutted._

"_We'll see."_

_Kathy knocked on the door and joined the girls. "What are we talking about?"_

_Katie enthusiastically retold the information to her mother and Kathy only laughed good-naturedly. "Kate, I want to remind you that you're still young. Don't settle."_

_She rolled her eyes dramatically at her mom. "I'm not settling. Luke is a good guy!"_

"_I know," Kathy reassured, "But you need to find someone who's willing to not only love you forever, but to lay his life on the line for you. Would Luke do that?"_

_Katie shrugged and looked over the clothes in the closet one more time. _

_Kathy continued, "You need to find someone who will die for you, kill for you, and…well…just about anything else."_

"_I doubt I'd find someone like that in Burtonsville," Katie admitted sadly._

"_You're young," Kathy told her with a smile, "You have all the time in the world."_

_

* * *

_

"You look very handsome."

She stood behind him, standing on her toes to look at him in the mirror over his shoulder.

"And you look very beautiful, Bones."

She blushed slightly and Booth turned around. He brought her close, kissing her quickly before moving away.

"We're in church, Bones," he said, attempting to appease the questioning look on her face, "I don't want to sin in church. That's just…wrong. And it would earn me a one-way ticket to Hell."

"Kissing your wife is not a sin in church. You've kissed me here before. When we got married, when Elsa was baptized, when-ˮ

"Kissing you tends to lead to something more," he explained, cutting her off.

A mischievous smile covered her face and she turned back to her own mirror, picking up her necklace and fumbling with the clasp. Booth tried to help her, but he too fumbled with the clasp.

It took a while, but eventually, the necklace was secure around Brennan's neck.

"Are you okay? You're awfully shaky."

"I'm fine," he said. Brennan picked up the small boutonnière and pinned it to the lapel of his tux.

"Does she know she picked the same flowers you did?"

Brennan smiled. "I think she has some idea. I think it may be why she picked these flowers."

Booth didn't answer. He only smiled as Brennan finished the application. The daffodil stood out against the black jacket of his tux.

"Bones, Dad, you guys almost ready?" Parker stuck his head into the dressing room.

"We'll be right out, Parker," Brennan assured, "Tell your sister we'll be just one more minute."

Parker nodded and shut the door behind him.

She turned to Booth. "Are you ready for this?"

"No."

"Booth…"

"Bones…Seeing Elsie get married in the same church we got married in is not going to be easy for me. Walking her down the aisle is going to be the longest walk of my life."

"I thought me walking down the aisle was the longest walk of your life."

"This is worse," he muttered.

"Booth, you have to do this for her."

"Hey, it's not like I'm going to back out like someone I know," he teased.

"I was afraid for…maybe three minutes. I delayed our wedding for three minutes at most," she defended herself.

"Hey, hey," Booth said tenderly, pulling her closer, "I'm joking. This is just…a big deal for me, for us. Adam is a great guy, and I know he's going to take care of her, but I still worry about her all the time."

"I know. I'm never going to get you to stop worrying. But you have to give her some breathing room, Booth."

"I'm trying. But…"

Brennan smiled. "Yes, I know, the pigtails and the monsters under the bed and little league games. You miss her childhood."

"So much," he admitted.

"Would you like to know something Angela told me last week?"

Booth nodded.

"She said spoiling your grandchildren is so much more fun than spoiling your own children. Angela and Jack seem to enjoy that very much."

Booth laughed a bit. "That sounds about right."

"Mommy, Parker's going to take you to your seat now. Are you ready?"

Elsa stood in the dressing room doorway. Her father had an instant flashback to the days of playing princesses in her room, sitting at the too small table and chairs, with a tiara on his head. She was beautiful and the spitting image of her mother on her wedding day.

Brennan gave Elsa a small smile. "Yes. I believe your father is ready as well. I love you, Elsa."

"I love you, too, Mom."

They exchanged hugs quickly and Brennan left, leaving a kiss on her daughter's cheek and an encouraging look for her husband.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"You're jumpy."

"You sound like your mom," he joked.

Elsa smiled. "You ready? It's almost our turn."

Booth nodded slowly. "Elsie?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm very proud of you. And I want you to promise me something."

"Anything."

He walked with Elsa out into the entryway of the church where the wedding party was preparing to walk down the aisle. "If he hurts you in anyway, and I mean in _any_ way, you call me. I don't care how far away I am, I'll kill him."

She laughed and linked her arm with his. "I know you will, Daddy. And I…appreciate that, but Adam and I, we're the real deal. Just like you and Mom."

Her comment only comforted him slightly and Booth pressed a kiss to her temple as the first of the bridesmaids and groomsmen began to head down to the altar. They took their time reaching the end of the aisle. He could see Angela and Cam crying, Hodgins and Zach beaming and Brennan, sitting with Kathy, Josh and Max, quietly observing like she always did when she attended a church service with her family.

"Who gives this woman to this man?" the elderly priest asked when they reached their final destination. Father Matthews had married Booth and Bones years ago. The memories washed over Booth like the moment Bones told him she'd marry him in the church, seeing her walk down the aisle and hearing her say the words 'I do' to him. His voice caught in his throat and the old church was entirely silent for an instant.

"We do," Booth finally answered, looking back toward his wife for a second. He kissed Elsa one last time and she hugged him tight.

"I love you, Daddy," she whispered in his ear.

Booth smiled at her and told her he loved her too. He shook Adam's hand and Booth gained the reaction he was looking for. As Adam pulled his hand back, he winced at Booth's tight grip.

He went to his seat next to Brennan and linked his hand with hers. She looked her husband in the eye and smiled. Booth watched his little girl marry a good man and it didn't go unnoticed by him that Elsie kept looking back at him during the ceremony. When the last guest had gone through the receiving line after the wedding, Elsie pulled him aside. Wordlessly, she hugged him. Booth wrapped his arms around her and willed this moment to never end.

"'I'll always be your girl,'" she whispered, quoting their favorite movie.

He laughed lightly, thinking of the countless nights they had spent curled up on the couch watching _Forrest Gump_, reciting the lines along with the actors.

"I'm happy for you, Elsie."

"Thanks, Daddy. Come on, we gotta go to the reception." Elsa pulled him to the door, where the rest of their family was waiting. Elsie, Parker and Brennan walked down the steps of the church with Booth and Adam following behind.

"Adam, I want to tell you that I'm happy for the both of you."

"Thank you, sir."

Booth smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets. Fumbling with the dice that were always with him, he said, "You can stop calling me sir. I don't need to feel older than I already am."

"Uh, yeah, okay," Adam said, surprised that his intimidating new father-in-law would say something like that.

"I want you to do something for me," Booth told Adam, slowing down his pace to let the gap between them and Elsie widen a bit more.

"What is it?"

"I know Elsa's stubborn and I know she says she can take care of herself. She's a lot like her mom in that aspect. But I need you to promise you'll take care of her. And don't tell her we're having this conversation. She'd kill the both of us if she knew we were talking about her like this."

Adam smiled. "Yeah, I'd rather stay alive. But I already promised her I'd take care of her. I'm not going anywhere."

Booth nodded and laid a firm hand on his son-in-law's shoulder.

"I know. I just had to say that for my own sanity." Booth chuckled a bit, allowing Adam to relax a bit more.

"I think she knows we're talking about her," Adam muttered, looking at his new wife. Elsa was standing next to the limo, tapping her foot impatiently as a joke. She smiled at the two men.

"Come on, Daddy, stop trying to intimidate Adam. We have a reception to get to!"

"Alright, baby girl, we're coming," Booth shouted back. "Let's go. We don't want your wife to be angry."

"No," Adam laughed, "That wouldn't make for a good honeymoon."

Booth cringed a bit as he climbed into the limo behind Adam. He sat between Brennan and Parker and watched his daughter's happiness fill the packed vehicle even more.

"You need to let go, Dad," Parker whispered, "Let Adam take care of her. It's his turn now."

"Yeah, come talk to me when your daughter gets married," Booth whispered back.

"That's not going to happen. Grace and I have already decided that Nora's not getting married," Parker vowed.


	14. The Greatest Thing

**A/N: I have one more of these planned. If anyone has any more ideas, I'd love to get your thoughts so I can continue :)**

* * *

"_I can't believe they're gone. I know it's been a few years, but…it still doesn't feel real sometimes, you know?"_

_Brennan only nodded. "I miss them a lot," she admitted._

"_Me too," Josh added._

"_I know you're busy with your dissertation, Baby. You didn't need to leave Chicago to come down and see me."_

"_I wanted to. We wanted to," she corrected herself after receiving a nudge from Josh._

"_We didn't want you to be alone," he told Kathy._

_The fall air was unusually warm in Burtonsville and the headstones in the lone town cemetery were decorated with flowers that matched the colors of the season. Fourth of July decorations still dotted the forgotten landscape. Kathy removed the old flowers from two headstones and tossed them aside. Brennan placed the bright sunflowers next to the stone that bore Katie's name and Josh did the same for Aaron. They took steps back and stared at the stones that shouldn't have been there in the first place. _

_Katharine Elizabeth Allen and Aaron James Richman laid next to each other for the last eight years. At first, when their deaths were fresh in the minds of classmates and the rest of the town, the cemetery was bustling with visitors and well-wishers. Friends and teachers who loved them and the residents of the little town who knew of them showed their sympathies in various flower arrangements. As time went on, the number of visitors Brennan's siblings received lessened. Kathy, Chris, Josh and Brennan were the only ones who went steadily, and Brennan only went when someone had the request to not go alone. She had never understood talking to someone who could no longer hear you, but she knew the others took solace in it, so she kept her mouth shut. When Chris was gone, Kathy and Josh continued to take Baby with them on their weekly visits. When they were split up, when Josh was moved across town to another family and Brennan was sent to a family that lived in a rural part of the county, she had no one to take her to the cemetery. Realizing she missed the ritual and the comfort she found in Katie and Aaron's company, she'd skip days of school to spend with her siblings. The days in the cemetery only fueled the Morticia nickname and Mr. Buxley's janitor closet and the nurse's office became her hideout. _

"_If you had asked me years ago about where Katie would be now, I would've said married with kids. I would've thought by now I'd have grandkids."_

_Josh and Baby said nothing. Neither could comfort the woman mourning for the family she lost. _

_

* * *

_

Every Fourth of July, the Brennan-Booth household was bustling. Apart from Christmas, it was Booth's favorite holiday and the celebrations were always spectacular. The top-of-the-line barbeque was already in use and the backyard was full of guests. Parker, holding his oldest, Nora, floated gently around the deep end, while Grace kept baby Max in a flotilla of floaties in the shallowest part of the pool. Jack and Angela's kids and grandchildren were busy setting up the fireworks for later on and Cam and her husband lounged by the pool.

Booth and Jack stood over the grill, monitoring the food while Angela and Brennan stood in the kitchen preparing the rest of the food. Elsa and Adam were the last to arrive.

As Brennan watched her daughter walk toward her, a smile covered her face.

"Mom, are you okay?"

Brennan said nothing, only pulled her in for a tight hug. She whispered something in her ear and Elsie only muttered, "I knew I wouldn't have to say anything to you."

She let go of Elsa and hugged Adam. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Adam said, his face said confused while his voice was full of joy, "How'd you know?"

"Apparently, Bren is psychic now and Aunt Angie is still out of the loop," Angela deadpanned.

"I'm pregnant," Elsie gushed, her voice hushed.

"Oh…my god!" Angela squealed, hugging her goddaughter.

"You might want to tell your father," Brennan suggested.

"Tell me what? Are you guys moving away again? I just got used to having my little girl close to home again," Booth said, bringing in dirty dishes from the grill.

Angela only patted on the shoulder as she sauntered outside through the back screen door, her mischievous grin revealing nothing to Booth.

"What's going on?" Booth asked, looking between the three.

"Daddy…" Elsa ventured.

"You're okay, aren't you? You're not sick or anything, are you?" Booth asked, pretending to check her for wounds like he did when she was a little girl.

She smiled gently. "No, Daddy. Well, only in the mornings and Mom, can you get rid of that potato salad? Just the smell makes me want to yak."

Brennan chuckled and put the potato salad in the refrigerator.

"Your mother had the same reaction when she was pregnant with you," Booth said, chuckling, obviously not making the connection, "She refused to eat anything on the Fourth that year."

Adam had a panicked, nervous look on his face and looked at Elsie, encouraging her to say something.

No one said anything and they only stared at Booth, waiting for him to realize what Elsa had been saying to him.

"Daddy, Mom and I are a lot alike," she tried.

"I know, baby girl, you two are…Oh…"

"And he just got it," Angela said from the back door.

"Are you really, Elsie?" he wanted to know.

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his midsection, hugging her father like she did as a little girl.

"So I'm going to be a grandpa?" he asked.

"Again," Elsie confirmed, looking through the kitchen window at her niece and nephew out in the pool.

"It's different, you know," Angela told them. "Seeing your daughter have a baby is way different than seeing your son become a father."

Booth looked at his daughter. "You're going to be a great mom."

"Thanks, Daddy. Come on," she grabbed Adam by the hand, "Let's go tell Parker."

Brennan, Angela, and Booth watched Elsa and Adam stand out by the pool, announcing the news. Parker, still holding onto Nora, leapt out of the pool and hugged his sister, drenching her. Elsa took Nora out of her brother's arms and swung the toddler around. Water droplets flung everywhere and she soon pulled Nora close into a hug.

Watching his little girl hold his granddaughter, Booth smiled and sighed.

"Are you okay?" Brennan asked him.

"Yeah," he said with a nod, "I just hope Adam knows what's ahead of him."

"Like what?"

"Watching your little girl grow up. It's the greatest thing in the world."


	15. Germs

**A/N: I want to thank everyone who's read and I want to give an even bigger thanks to all of those who've taking the time to review. I want you all to know that, even though I don't reply sometimes, your kind words are very much appreciated.**

**This is the last chapter. This is, by far, my favorite and was inspired by a conversation I had with my three year old cousin. Funniest conversation of my life.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

"_Okay, did you…observe like I asked? I mean, I get it if you didn't. I wouldn't want to put you in an awkward position or make you feel like a creep…"_

"_Why would observing my surrounds make me feel like a creep?"_

_Katie rolled her eyes. "Never mind. What do you think? Is he a total jerk or is that just his cover up for being really sweet?"_

_Brennan sat next to Katie on the couch. "Well, from observing Matt in a purely academic setting, I've noticed he had two different personas."_

_Katie scrunched up her nose in confusion. "What do you mean?"_

"_Well, when surrounded by friends and other alpha males he feels comfortable around, he had a tendency to be very…rude. But, when the opportunity presents itself, he is very kind."_

"_How so?"_

"_Well, yesterday, I was in the library, Mrs. Hornsby was having problems reaching the top shelf. He put most of the books away for her after that."_

"_Aww," Katie sighed, "I knew it. Matt is one of those guys who's really mean on the outside but a sweetheart once you get to know him."_

"_I'm sure," Brennan mused, obviously uninterested in where this conversation was going. _

"_Thanks for gettin' the scoop for me, Baby. I knew I could always count on you for good advice."_

_

* * *

_

They both hated this. Their big house was silent. It seemed to echo, or as much as silence could. Booth would usually equate their house in a moderately affluent neighborhood to the Hodgins' estate that was situated in a very remote part of town. Brennan knew their house was larger than what the average family resided in but it was home.

With Parker, Grace, Nora and Max spending time with Grace's family in New York, their house as of late had become oddly quiet now that Adam and Elsie had moved to Arizona. Elsie had taken a job with Arizona State teaching anthropology and Booth would think of a plan nightly that would allow them to spend half of the year in D.C. with Parker's family and the rest of the year in a much warmer climate with his daughter.

Booth and Brennan were sitting in their living room, Booth laying on the couch with his feet on Brennan's lap. He was reading his favorite _Green Lantern _comic while she reviewed thesis papers.

On occasion, she'd spot him out of the corner of her eye peeking over his comic to glance at her. Finally, after the sixteenth time, she sighed, put the papers down and placed the cap back on her red pen.

"What is it, Booth?"

"Huh?" he mumbled, trying to play it off.

"You keep looking at me. What is it?"

"When did Parker say he and Grace were bringing the kids back? I wanna take Nora to that Capitals game."

"Booth, the last time you took Nora to a hockey game, she cried every time the horn sounded at a goal."

"She was a toddler," he reasoned, "Now that she's a little older, she'll like it."

"They aren't coming back for another week. They don't see Grace's family as much as they see us. It's good that Nora and Max spend time with family."

Booth grumbled incoherently and picked up his comic again.

Brennan had just gotten around to removing the cap on her pen to correct a mistake on one of her student's papers when Booth groaned again, tossing his comic on the coffee table.

"What now?" she wondered with the patience she could use with her grandchildren.

"When's Elsie coming to visit?"

She sighed and chuckled slightly. "Probably not until Christmas. You're married to a college professor. You should understand the work load she has."

Booth went into full Nora-dramatics, groaning loudly and rolling his eyes like his granddaughter would do when she was notified dinner still wasn't ready. He slouched back down into the couch and crossed his arms.

"Booth, what is it?"

"Can we go visit?" he asked. He was semi-retired now, working on his own schedule with the bureau on cases they deemed unsolvable. "Assuming you can leave the university for a few days?"

"Only a few days? Or am I going to get left at the airport because Lia broke Grandpa's heart and begged him to stay?" Brennan joked.

Booth only laughed. Brennan's cell shook the coffee table and she snatched it up quickly.

"_Mom?"_

"Hi, Elsa, we were just talking about you," Brennan told her.

"_Mom, I need some help."_

"Are you okay?" Brennan was instantly worried and his wife's tone of voice put Booth in a sitting position, ready to grab the car keys and speed to the airport.

Elsa laughed and Brennan smiled at him, trying to ease Booth's anxiety. _"I'm fine. Do you want to know what Natalia did today at preschool?"_

"Do I want to know?" Brennan countered.

"_I think you do. I need your help with it, actually."_

"What'd she do?" Her granddaughter was taking after her uncle, both Parker and Natalia epic troublemakers.

"_One of the nuns at her school caught her kissing a boy in the coat room! She's four!"_

Brennan couldn't control her laughter. Booth was grinning, anticipating the story he would hear when she was off the phone.

"_You can't tell Daddy. He's almost more protective of Lia than he was of me at that age."_

"He's still protective of you," Brennan told her, glancing at Booth.

"Damn straight," he muttered.

"_True, but what do I do? Do I tell her kissing boys is gross or naughty? What should I tell her?"_

"Did the nuns punish her?"

"Uh oh," Booth said. If he had known the entire story, he'd be siding with the nuns. Brennan found it amusing.

"_They…scolded her," _Elsa said, her word choice obviously carefully selected, _"But she told Adam and he's having a panic attack. He's worse than Daddy was with me."_

"I highly doubt that. No one is as protective as your father, not even Adam."

Booth smiled proudly at her comment, hoping it was a compliment.

"_She thinks it's funny,"_ Elsa told her, sounding exhausted.

"Do you want me to talk to her?"

"_Sure. Lia! Grandma's on the phone for you!"_

Booth snatched the phone out of her hand and put the call on speaker.

"_Hi, Grandma!"_

"Hello, Natalia, how are you?"

"_I'm good. Wanna hear what I did at school today?"_

Brennan smiled. "Sure, Grandpa's here too."

"_Hi, Grandpa!" _she screamed into the phone, _"Guess what I did at school today?"_

"What did you do at school today, sweet pea?" he asked.

"_You're supposed to guess,"_ Natalia told him.

"Hmm, did you color Mommy a pretty picture?"

"_Nope! I kissed a boy!"_

The color drained from Booth's face. Stifling a laugh at her speechless husband, Brennan spoke instead. "Why?"

"_I had to prove to him that there's no such thing as cooties," _she told them, _"Cooties aren't real, right, Grandma? There's no scientific evidence that cooties exist." _

"Did you, uh, kiss him on his cheek?" Booth asked, tugging at his t-shirt collar that suddenly felt very constricting. He should've known his granddaughter was next in the line of Squints. First, Brennan, then Elsa and now, Natalia.

"_No, on the lips, silly,"_ Lia said, giggling.

"Why?" Booth choked out.

"_Isaac is my boyfriend. Duh," _she said. Her attitude was all Brennan.

She turned off the speaker, afraid of giving Booth a heart attack, and spoke to Natalia very calmly.

"Lia, you're too young to have a boyfriend."

"_Nuh-uh! Jordyn has a boyfriend. His name is Elijah. He's very cute."_

"Lia, do you remember what I told Max when he wanted to eat that gummy bear off the floor?"

"_No."_

"I told him there were lots of germs on the floor. And now the gummy bear had lots of germs."

"_Germs are bad," _Lia recited.

"You are correct. Do you know who else had germs?"

"_Who?"_

"Boys," Brennan told her, like she was sharing one of her deepest secrets.

"_They do?" _Lia sounded horrified.

"Yes. That's why Mommy, Daddy and Grandpa are so upset. You can't kiss boys! You'll get germs!"

"_But Mommy and Daddy kiss all the time. And you and Grandpa kiss all the time. And Uncle Parker and Aunt Grace kiss all the time. And-ˮ_

"Daddy, Grandpa and Uncle Parker aren't boys. They're men," Brennan explained.

"_So when boys turn into men, they lose their germs?"_

"Exactly. So promise me, no more kissing boys, alright?"

"_I promise, Grandma. I don't like germs."_

"Thank you, Lia. That will make your Daddy and Grandpa very happy."

"_Good. Grandma, can I ask you a question?"_

"Anything," Brennan told her.

"_When do boys lose their germs?"_

"Not until they're thirty."


End file.
